Is this a silver lining or a nightmare scenario for Edmonton Oilers?

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Anyone on the Edmonton Oilers thinks that things are going well now except for the two weeks before McDavid and Drexel were injured. ”

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Yes, the weird side of Edmonton at the moment, “The Best Times and The Worst Times” doesn’t start describing the emotional range of this team.

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You have Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner, guys who should make Edmonton fans forget Dylan Holloway, Warren Foegele and Ryan McLeod, who scored a storm and played like he did when he signed here last summer.

Arvidsson’s one-off match in San Jose was third on his last nine games and his fifth goal. Skinner’s 15th season in San Jose is his fourth goal in his last seven games.

The total depth of the season that Edmonton has been calling for has been illuminated lately: Arvidsson (3), Skinner (2), Adam Henrique (2), Connor Brown (1) and Corey Perry (1) have counted nine goals in their last six games.

In these six games, the Oilers are targeting 4-2 and have six strong goals.

In the goal, Calvin Pickard is playing the role of clutch backup, making perfect. He has been 3-1 in the last four games and 20-8-1 this season is 3-1. At the age of 32 and 15 years after he was selected, he released the best season of his NHL career when the Oilers absolutely needed it the most.

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All of this is what the Oilers hope they can get from these guys. In some cases, it goes beyond that.

This is a great thing.

However, on the other end, it is pure doom and melancholy.

Their two best forwards, their best defenders and starting goalkeepers are all in trouble, lingering, hurting, and no one knows what this means for the playoffs.

Connor McDavid missed six games and won, and was not back by Edmonton’s current road trip.

Leon Draisaitl missed four games with injuries and returned for eight periods, having to beat San Jose 3-2 without injuries, which may have nothing to do with the first injury.

Mattias Ekholm missed six games, returned to four games, and has returned to four games and counted in the count.

Skinner had knees before four games and never skated again since.

Less than two weeks before the playoffs, it was almost a nightmare.

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On the one hand, everything goes as far as possible. The auxiliary actors win the game, play strong defense (three consecutive wins 3-2), scored big goals, and absolutely advanced to the occasion. They’ve been waiting for this ice time and opportunity all season and they’re stepping up to kill it.

“You never want to miss those guys, you never want top players not to play because every time you don’t play, you’ll reduce your chances of winning,” said head coach Kris Knoblauch. “But others have the chance to play, get some confidence, hope to get some goals.

“When you lose the best player, people have to step up. It’s a great opportunity for them, and in this case, they do a great job.”

They have. However, at the same time, the top of the lineup cannot stay healthy. And, like Brown, Skinner, Arvidsson, Perry, etc., if McDavid, Draisaitl and Ekholm are still being started by the playoffs, the Oilers will have deep, incalculable trouble.

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For an emotionally fragile fan base that gained nothing in mid-November, it was pure torture.

If the big dogs get healthy and are eager to play in the playoffs, that’s the best thing to do. Force feeds people with depth, these critical times, watch them succeed and gain confidence, and then unleash the entire team in the first round.

In this case, the Oilers are the same as anyone in their game to the Stanley Cup final. In other cases, McDavid, Draisaitl, Ekholm and Skinner were never completely healthy, and it was an early export.

The best time or the worst time? stay tuned.

“It’s great to show the depth of our group, from the performances of different guys who have to show off offensively,” Brown said. “It’s better to find your game, especially this time of year.

“With the playoffs coming, it’s nice to have a lot of time and some reps. So, as long as those guys are OK, it’s maybe a good thing, and I’m sure it’s a good thing.”

Email: rtychkowski@postmedia.com

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